[chris (OP)]

Kholofelo Mokolo says:

Is there no way, with the availability of advanced materials that an ice shelf about to break off cannot be stitched in place using hi-tech steel materials e.g. by putting stakes on either side of the fissure and hoping temperatures come down in years to come for the ice to heal itself back?

What do you think?

[Tim the Plumber]

No. Why would you want to?

It the wind is blowing a vast ice shelf towards the shore then it stays together. If the wind blows it away it breaks off. The cumulative force of winds of 200mph over 20km of ice will be huge.

[Kholo.mokolo]

You'd  want to do that in order to arrest the ice melt that is causing ocean levels to rise and to also preserve the visual heritage of the "landscape" in the antarctic... For instance if you've seen before and after satellite pictures of certain areas in the antarctic it just brings home the effects the warming of this planet

[chris (OP)]

"Repairing" a broken ice shelf is like sweeping dirt under the carpet: it ignores and covers up the underlying problem; the best solution is not to make a mess in the first place.

[Tim the Plumber]

You'd  want to do that in order to arrest the ice melt that is causing ocean levels to rise and to also preserve the visual heritage of the "landscape" in the antarctic... For instance if you've seen before and after satellite pictures of certain areas in the antarctic it just brings home the effects the warming of this planet

The ice shelf is not melting where it is. That big chunks break off and wander away to melt is nothing new. That we see it happening is new.

I don't care at all about the visual heritage of the Antarctic. There will always be vast tracts of ice to film if you want to. I don't. I don't want to see such desolate, lifeless places.

Only floating ice can break off and float away from the place where there is nevere any melting to melt somewhere else. This will never effect sea level.

[Tim the Plumber]

"Repairing" a broken ice shelf is like sweeping dirt under the carpet: it ignores and covers up the underlying problem; the best solution is not to make a mess in the first place.

No it is like gluing the leaves back onto the trees in autumn.

[alancalverd]

If you stitch one crack, another will develop, because you haven't addressed the cause, only the effect.

[evan_au]

Only floating ice can break off and float away from the place where there is nevere any melting to melt somewhere else. This will never effect sea level.

One concern is that the grounded ice shelf is holding back glaciers on the land.
Remove the ice shelf and the glaciers will flow out into the ocean unimpeded, and this will increase sea level.

[Tim the Plumber]

Only floating ice can break off and float away from the place where there is nevere any melting to melt somewhere else. This will never effect sea level.

One concern is that the grounded ice shelf is holding back glaciers on the land.
Remove the ice shelf and the glaciers will flow out into the ocean unimpeded, and this will increase sea level.

Conceavably ture for the first 2km. Beyond that not at all possible. The friction of the base of the ice sheet against the land is much more than any force the wind can produce on the ice shelf.

In reality, other than very exceptional and small cases not significant.